Author: Karina Pandya

Life  is a short, medium OR long existence of an individual human being or animal. Who knows how long one can actually live, right? However, on Okinawa islands – the string of 150 subtropical islands that lay east of Taiwan and constitute Japan’s southernmost prefecture, contains more centenarians per head of population than anywhere else, boasting of having the highest life expectancies in the world! The people living here have lifespans that are long and healthy and social, but they also have a firm belief and that is leading lives of PURPOSE. According to research, having a sense of purpose…

Living in a city for 20 years can never be ENOUGH for me to REALLY know how much culture MUMBAI really has and offers! I’ve been so used to living my dogmatic life that looking beyond or even just for curiosity sake I never even read about the city. Besides the ‘commonly recommended’ list of activities and places to visit there are many that you perhaps have not even tried out or even heard of!   Most of these are budget friendly and show you a different side of the city that you perhaps have never even seen. Of course, there…

November, the last month of the fall season in New York; when you can find the leaves on the trees changing colours and dotting the city roads with red and yellow. It is during this time of the year that it is fairly pleasant and the weather is mild, although it can get chilly at night. It is also the month right before the bitterly cold, winter season. Every single year November has a number of New York City Marathons and other events such as the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Union Square Holiday Market, the Comic Con Book Movie…

Standing right on the banks of the River Thames in the south east of Great Britain, London has been a major tourist attraction and a settlement for two millennia. It has its historical background, founded by the Romans who had named it Londinium. There are many notable attractions in this city such as the London Eye, which is a giant Ferris wheel on the edge of the river Thames (35 metres tall and has a diameter of 120 metres).  Just a short walk away from that, the whole area boasts of Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, London’s Aquarium…

Eve of the birthday!  #alibaugdiaries (courtesy karanjohar) Metamorphosis, perhaps the only thing that’s constant in life and can be said is ‘constant-lee’ happening in a person’s life.  Even the “Badshah of Bollywood”- better known as King Khan – Shah Rukh Khan who has made it to the other side of 50; as he turned 52 this year can’t escape metamorphosis.  Not only has he evolved from a witty, young superstar to a wise one who has mellowed down, but also crossing 50 has really made SRK a different man. Birthdays are meant to be special and shared with the people who matter the…

“Sit up straight, pay attention, express yourself, remember what is said, remember what is seen and don’t forget to process or simply understand what’s going on.  Oh yeah, while you are there don’t forget to juggle all the tasks and stay oriented with the surroundings and what people say and do, so that YOU can reason through any problems that MAY come your way. “ Do you know who is in charge over here?  It’s this [abstract or concrete], [conscious and unconscious] and [intuitive (similar to the knowledge of a language) and conceptual] (like a model of a language) mental action/process…

A word with a thousand definitions – happiness, could there be any other REAL pursuit in our lives? What are we all really trying to achieve in our lives; to graduate from a college, get a degree, buy a fancy car, get married, buy jewellery and the list does go one. At the end of attaining ANY  or ALL  of these things -there is just ONE thing in common and that is Happiness! Its history dates back to the insights of thinkers from China, India, and Greece that goes back to 2,500 years ago and more. There have been many pioneers of…

“I played the cards that were dealt to me; I knew I couldn’t complain. Life, in fact was supposedly mean to be lived in JUST the way ‘we’ CHOSE to PLAY!  Fated or destined, I do not know; but my thoughts kept coming back; slowly then faster, persistent yet insistent; these thoughts of mine they threw me off life’s line.” Coming to terms with this confusion and uncertainty of my own thoughts can sometimes be a very difficult task to grip over. Very often, it is essential to visit a professional therapist who can help you or give you some…

She enters a room and is alone, but she is happy. Another girl enters a different room, where there are  a few people in it, but this girl feels absolutely lost, anxious and disconnected with everything around her.  How can that be? Its a typical, happy, social situation, right?   Guess Not! Psychologically these two girls are experiencing very different emotions. One girl is just ‘physically alone’ but the other is experiencing ‘psychological’ and ‘emotional’ signs which are very hazardous to health. What is about loneliness that drains a person so much? Why is happiness so difficult to attain or…

“I’m feeling, happy; wait that’s just a lie I tell myself. I’m honestly feeling empty, isolated, confused and I don’t know who I should trust in life.” This is a tiny  glance into the life of a person suffering from depression. Its hard to admit things, especially when it comes to our mental health, isn’t it? Depression is not a small fluctuation in our mood but a constant of low mood and aversion towards any type of activity. In fact the person suffering from depression doesn’t even realise but his thoughts, feelings, behaviour and sense of well being are all getting affected.…